Tuesday, June 5, 2012

8:37 PM

By 7:30 p.m., a line of cars stretched bumper to bumper a half-mile in each direction along Northview Road toward the entrance of the Waukesha County fairgrounds.

The parking lot was already filled with hundreds of cars and two large buses that said "Tea Party Express."

Dozens of police officers surrounded the grounds, directing traffic and parking attendants began to park cars on the grass after the immense parking lots surrounding the fair's main exposition building filled up.

Inside, hundreds of people are milling around, watching a giant movie-screen with TV coverage of the race. They are booing loudly whenever news footage shows protesters at the Capitol or any mention of Barrett. They cheer when Walker is shown.

Music is blasting Neil Diamond's "Cherry, Cherry."

People are dressed in everything from Hawaiian shirts and flipflops to business suits to fancy dresses.

Waukesha County Exec. Dan Vrakas walked in and promised WisPolitics.com that Kathy Nickolaus would not be running the vote count tonight. Asked if she was at the courthouse, he said, "I don't know, but I promise you she will not be in charge."